Template
by Jetstream Girge
Summary: Elrios has entered a new age of peace. Though there a still some loose ends, the ElGang and friends finally have a chance to enjoy the reprieve. But now, forces of a new unknown enemy is moving on Elrios. The ElGang must once more take up arms to defend Elrios from a force that threatens to not just destroy it, but to reset it.
1. A New Enemy

**Hello, readers! I know I have been absent as of late, but summer has been just as busy as school! Weird, right? Anyways, this is something that came to me as I was playing Mass Effect and now we have Eltrion, the new raid boss, running around the NA server. So, I kind of put them together and came up with this new story. This is basically the prologue to a running series I will be starting up. I am calling it: Project Network. It will consist of three parts: Template, Points and Lines. This is just the beginning of what I hope will be an exciting adventure. If you want to see my inspiration for this particular chapter, I suggest you look up "Mass Effect 3 Take Back Earth Trailer." You will see where I am going with this story. Now then, without further ado, enjoy Template, Part I of Project Network!**

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The sky was clear and a brilliant blue color as Solace hung high, shining down on the glowing green fields of grass. The air was warm and only mildly moist, a perfect day in Elrios to be out and about in the solaceflowers, chasing beetles. A bright tone of laughter broke the chorus of singing birds and buzzing cicadas.

A streak of sable tore through the greens and yellows of the solaceflowers, chasing after a large coccinellidae. A shaggy, brown collie pursued it, barking as it went. The giggling song echoed through the cloudless sky, before being interrupted by cheery voice.

"Kokoro, where are you? It's time for lunch!" A female voice, filled with the stern intonations of a mother, called out to the black flash. The ebony streak finally halted and resolved into a young girl of the age of twelve. Her bright orange summer dress ruffled against the tall green stalks around her as she answered the voice.

"Coming, Mom! Let's go Hayate!" She turned to the dog and started running off towards the source of the voice, the dog barking happily in response as it faithfully followed its master. The huge flowers rustled as the little girl and her pet darted through them, and eventually they were greeted by a smiling woman with sable hair outside the field of the large plants, a quaint cottage behind her.

"There you are. Did you have fun, my little adventurer?" The woman crooned as the child flew into her arms.

"Yeah! Hayate and I saw a bunch of really cool bugs!" The child cheered as she told her mother of her little adventure.

"Oh? Did you catch any? Because I don't think we can afford another pet." The woman teased the little girl, who pouted in response.

"Aw… Why not, mom? It would give Hayate someone to play with." Kokoro argued.

"But he has you, my brave little adventurer." The mother countered, a playful gleam in her eyes.

"That's true… But then we would have another friend to play with!" Undeterred, the child pressed on and her mother chuckled as she set her daughter down.

"Ok then. Tell you what. If you can catch one of those bugs, you can keep it. Now let's go inside and eat some lunch." She lovingly patted her little girl on the head as she admitted defeat.

"Yay!" The girl jumped up and down for joy, her black hair following her motions like waves in the sea.

But then, the joyful conversation was broken by a series of angry barks. The sudden change startled the two females as they looked to their dog, who was furiously yapping at something in the distance.

It was then they heard… something. Like a low buzzing of a cicada, but synthesized. And then, a shadow extended from the field of solaceflowers as something blocked out the sun.

The mother was the first to look at this new presence and her face froze in fear.

It was massive.

The machination stood at an enormous seventy five meters and its body gleamed in a steely grey color with hints of ebony and electric blue. The wings extended at least twenty meters from its main body, giving it the appearance of a creature between a steel angel and a mechanical dragon. A frightening tail of cold steel whipped around behind it and its flat, crimson eyes in its elongated head were fixated on the two humans' home.

The girl turned to the gigantic entity, her eyes wide with terror and wonder. The dog continued to snarl and bark at the machine, but it soon degraded to pitiful whimpering as it darted into the cottage.

"Kokoro… get inside the house." The mother ordered her daughter in a shaky voice. The girl turned to her, her face showing unease.

"Mom…"

"NOW! Get inside the house!" Now she was shouting, and this was enough to spur the young girl away from the field and into the cottage, where she hid under the table in the kitchen next to the dog.

The woman, satisfied that her daughter was now in hiding, ran to the side of the house as the metal monstrosity grew ever closer. She skidded to a stop by a pile of tinder and she began to throw the pieces of wood into the yard, searching for something. Eventually, she pulled out a brown, leather sheath, and with a metallic sliding sound, a blade of brilliant steel shone in what light was left under the shadow of the colossal intruder.

She had practiced the basics of swordsmanship with the Elder garrison so she could defend herself from any bandits that decided to make her home a target. After she completed the course, she was given this iron blade to serve as her certification. But she never had to use those skills before. And now the enemy before her was something that a simple blade would likely not even scratch.

But she had to try. Or at least distract it while her daughter escaped, if necessary. This was the extent a mother would go for her child.

With this in mind, she let out as large of a battle cry as she could muster and sprinted around the corner of her home and towards the floating titan. Her cry echoed through the wind and…

She stopped.

Now that she was closer to it, it was even more intimidating; so intimidating that she could not move. She had felt fear before, but nothing like this. It was like gravity had skyrocketed where she stood. This was beyond simple fear.

It was witnessing a force so great in scope it could not be measured.

And by the time the juggernaut had floated over her head and come to a stop at the cottage did she realize that it was also intelligent.

"What are you doing?" She asked the metal giant as it floated over her home, hoping against hope that it would answer her.

But there was no reply. It merely raised a massive claw and held it over the roof of the house… where her daughter was hiding.

"What are you doing!?" She had finally started to overcome the overwhelming pressure that rooted her to the spot, but the entity before her seemed to not hear her, or just did not care. A great humming sound began to increase in volume as a sphere of blue light began to expand in the palm of the machine's outstretched hand.

"NO! STOP!" She began to turn to face the invader, shouting at it in desperation, but it still paid her no heed. This pressure kept her feet rooted to the ground and only allowed her pleading voice to escape her throat. The ball of energy in its hand increased in intensity and began to crackle with blue lightning, the titan's gaze still fixated on the cottage.

"KOKORO, RUN!" In a last desperate attempt, she called to her daughter just as the light exploded into a column of energy, engulfing the house. Her eyes could see the cottage disintegrate under the laser and she could have sworn she saw her daughter in the middle of the attack, vanishing before her eyes.

In the next instant, it was over. The pillar of light faded and where it struck was nothing, not even a crater. The now empty lot was crackling with linear arcs of what appeared to be electricity. Apart from that, nothing remained; even the foundation of the house was gone.

It was like it never existed in the first place.

Time froze around her, and the woman felt her knees giving way to gravity as she fell to the ground. She was powerless to stop it. Her daughter, her home, even her dog were all taken from her in an instant. And she did nothing but watch it happen.

As she struggled with her grief-stricken thoughts, the armored juggernaut finally shifted its gaze to her fallen form. By the time she realized it was now focused on her, it was already over her, its hand hanging over like a god about to bring judgment.

As she stared in to the expanding light in its palm thought blurry vision, she muttered pathetically.

"Why?"

However, the machine never broke its silence as the light engulfed her and she vanished from the plane of Elrios.

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**Kind of cliche in my opinion, but I had to do it. As always I welcome all kinds of reviews, except flames, which will be promptly fed to my delete button. If you don't have anything constructive (keyword: CONSTRUCTIVE) to say, then you are wasting my and the other readers' time. Anyways, Read and Review! I hope that this journey will be as cool as I envisioned it. COMMENCE PROJECT NETWORK!**


	2. Another Day

**Sorry for the delay everyone! Getting ready for senior thesis also means looking for a career after you graduate so... Anyways, enjoy this update to Template!**

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The crisp morning air felt refreshing as the Veteran Commander stepped out of his meager residence and inhaled through his nose. The chill of the morning dew lightly jolted the nerves in his nostrils and he felt a burst of energy well up from within him. And just in time, too. He was just starting his normal routine.

It started with a course of stretches to get his muscles primed for the later exercises. Biceps, triceps, abdominals, hamstrings, they were all stretched for about thirty seconds each. Once he felt each fiber of muscle brimming with energy he started to jog down the foggy path.

All around him, the mist clung onto the trees that bordered the road into town and the rustic fence wooden planks served as his guide. Occasionally, he would encounter other early morning joggers and they would give him a friendly wave as they passed. In the span of five minutes, he rounded a corner and finally saw his destination.

Velder.

Or at least what Velder would look like when it was recovering from a massive demon invasion several months ago. The palace was, of course, among the first structures to be rebuilt. The surviving nobles likely saw to that. Raven rolled his eyes at the thought and then he swept them over the rest of the city.

The Hope Bridge was also a priority to be reconstructed, as the Veteran Commander could see several scaffoldings and cranes along the length of the behemoth structure. Commercial Area 1, being the heart of business in the city, was also being prioritized. The last time the mercenary walked through the area, there were already vendors selling their wares out of the burnt holes in the walls and the cratered sidewalks.

Now his golden orbs fell on Residential Area 3, and his stoic expression darkened.

The area was still in disrepair. Most of the maintenance had been done by the returning residents who just wanted a roof over their heads that was not charred supports. With the majority of the reconstruction effort being focused on other areas throughout the city, Residential Area 3 was on its own. The Red Knights tried to patrol the area often, but they were often roped into guard duty for the same nobles that allowed corruption to spread and preventing Residential Area 3 from getting back on its feet quickly.

That is where he came in.

In the span of time it took Raven to think on the state of the city, he was crossing the threshold of what used to be the West Gate. Standing at attention amongst the rubble were a trio of rough looking men with great swords slung across their backs and grey bucklers strapped to their arms. One of them made eye contact with the Veteran Commander as he approached and his already straightened back became even more rigid.

"Captain Raven! Welcome back!" At his exclamation, the other two soldiers went to attention and snapped off crisp salutes, their right hands came to their foreheads at a sharp 35 degrees. Raven came to a stop and jogged in place in front of the men, returning their salute and greeting.

"At ease, Zed, Craig, Sid. Any trouble this morning?" Raven inquired between deep breaths.

"Nope, nothing unusual came through on our end. Ellie and Brad are patrolling the district and seeing as we haven't heard any cries or clanging steel, the streets are probably clear of trouble." The one that engaged the Veteran Commander in conversation gave a brief report, earning a satisfied nod.

"Good to hear. Keep it up, Crow!" Raven gave off one last salute as he resumed his run, this time into Residential Area 3, the three men from before saluting him as he left. As the man at the front of the group began to turn back to the ruined gate, the morning sun glinted off an object around his neck.

It was an emblem in the shape of a bird with its wings spread and its black luster shining in the light. It was a symbol Raven saw often in the past.

It was the mark of the Crow Mercenary Knights, the band of independent soldiers Raven himself lead so many years ago. The group of men and women who gave their lives to save his and started him down a path of vengeance. And then after he was freed from his rage by the ElGang two years ago, the leader in him began to slowly awaken.

Normally, Velder military protocol, which Raven had drilled into him, demanded that the commander stay to the rear. However, in the ElGang, who met otherworldly perils on a daily basis, it was necessary to be at the front, aiding allies. So, Raven had made the decision to turn his nasod arm into a powerful weapon without allowing it to evolve all those years ago. This meant the majority of the strain would be shouldered by his body, but if that was the price to pay for greater power, so be it.

It was then he became what he called a Weapon Taker. As a Weapon Taker, he blew open enemy formations with his overwhelming fire power and his allies would then charge forward and finish them off. This often resulting in his body suffering some back lash from the overloaded attack, but it secured victory for the ElGang through most of their journey.

Of course, the constant overclocking of the arm's power core wore it out, and maintenance started to become more and more frequent, almost to the point where it was becoming detrimental. So, with the help of the Pongos of Altera, Raven forged a new arm that could handle the strain of the intense energy in the core and still be capable of dishing out even more carnage than before.

After that upgrade, Elsword often complained that there were almost no enemies to fight because Raven had already incinerated them. But this is where his skills as a leader really showed. He would charge into the fray and scatter the enemy and identify their commander. From there, they would improvise and crush the enemy. Though Elsword was still considered their de facto leader, Raven was widely accepted as the battle commander. A grizzled veteran that commanded respect and inspiration through his experience.

A Veteran Commander.

Raven returned as the blazing officer to Velder, only to see his home being burned to the ground by the demons' flames. He had fought so hard at the time, scorching scores of Glitter demons at a time, cleansing them with his fire. But it was not enough, the demons were already dug in and weathered the ElGang's and the Red Knights' assaults. Once they were spent, the enemy launched a counter attack. What was supposed to be an operation to take back the city became a struggle to survive as the heroes fended off wave after wave of demonic attacks, being pushed through the city and eventually forcing the ElGang to hold their ground as the remaining civilians were evacuated from the South Gate.

Raven could still remember the orange glow of Velder as they fled the burning city still being visible as the metropolis shrank in the distance. He swore he would return and set the city free. And after expunging the demonic presence in Hamel and Sander, he was given that chance. The Red Knights were joined by the Hamel Guardian Knights and they rushed over the demon ranks like a red and white tsunami, crushing the Glitters and finally forcing them back through their portal. Then, the Water Priestess Sasha and the Wind Priestess Anudran combined their magic to destroy the gateway, ending the invasion of the Lurensian continent.

After settling down in the ruined capital, Raven resolved to maintain the peace he fought so hard for. The Veteran Commander reformed the Crow Mercenary Knights, recruiting only the best fighters he could find. What he created was something that the residents of Velder recognized: a symbol they thought lost to the ashes of the old Velder.

The Crow Mercenary Knights were reborn and returned stronger than ever. Even in a city ravaged by the flames of war, they stood as a representation of perseverance and integrity. They would police the streets and guard food stockpiles from those trying to take advantage of the chaos. A couple of rumors even suggested that the nobility tried pinning several crimes on the new group, but those words died quickly among the depraved populace.

Now that he thought on it, ever since the ElGang had rid Sander of the demonic presence, things had been looking up. Aisha had been able to master her powers. Elsword was finally given a chance to join the Red Knights. Chung returned to Hamel only to find it mostly restored after the demon attack. Ara, though without her brother, left for Fahrmann with Eun. Eve resumed her efforts to restore the Nasod kingdom and Add followed Eve, of course.

Elesis had gotten the short end of the stick unfortunately. During a skirmish in Feita, she and her Red Knights were ambushed by Glitters and were slaughtered, and the Red Haired Knight was left on death's doorstep. However, when Elsword arrived carrying the Dark El that empowered Conwell, her will to live and her drive for vengeance resonated with the darkened energy, restoring her life. Raven saw her cut through the enemy lines with dark, blood colored energy and a seemingly lifeless stare as the demons' blood splashed over her. She was almost like Raven when he was being controlled by the Nasods, except she wanted nothing more than to see the Glitters dead at her feet. So after the demons were purged from Elrios, she became lost, her target for revenge gone.

But this is where her little brother came in.

"Okay, let's try that again sis. Smile." Raven heard a familiar voice and grinned at the sound before rounding the corner of a decrepit structure. He was then greeted by the sight of the two Sieghart siblings, Elesis with her flat expression and Elsword tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Sis, you need to turn the corners of your mouth up. Up."

Raven finally came to a stop and brought a hand to cover his face when he realized that Elsword was talking like one would to a grade schooler. Elesis did not show any change in her expression except a slight cocking of an eyebrow.

"Elsword, why are we doing this again? We have other things we should be doing, like continuing our patrol." Her voice was just about as flat as her expression, earning a sigh from her brother.

"Come on, sis! Here, let me help you." With that, the Infinity Sword grasped the Crimson Avenger's cheeks and attempted to pull her face into a smile. What he got was something that would not be out of place in a shop of horrors and a knee in the gut. The Veteran Commander did his best to stifle his laughter as he approached the two red heads, though one had a dark streak in his.

"Hey, you two. Out on patrol?" He giggled and promptly cleared his throat of the guffawing.

"Ah, Raven. That is what we are supposed to be doing, but this brat is putting it off just to make me smile." Elesis scoffed as her brother coughed at her feet.

"Elesis, maybe I am _trying_ to make sure you don't go out on patrol. Last time, you nearly cut down a kid who stole a piece of fruit." Now Raven was completely focused on the conversation.

"Elesis, is that true?" His answer was swift.

"Justice must be meted out no matter the crime or the criminal. That is the creed I now follow."

"That doesn't mean you kill a starving little boy, Elesis! The leader of the Red Knights does not pull shit like that! That is what makes people hate you!" Elsword's yelling was getting nervous stares from the nearby pedestrians, leading to Raven putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Elesis, I understand that some things cannot be tolerated, but if that child stole from the food stores, that falls under the Crow Mercenary Knights' jurisdiction. You should not be passing judgement on something we are supposed to handle. I respect you as a commander, but if you overstep your boundaries, I will not overlook any actions you take." His voice was stoic and threatening. The fact that she tried to kill a child in broad daylight was news to him and it concerned him greatly. The Red Knight leader's cold expression finally changed, darkening further than before.

"Are you trying to give me orders, _Commander_?" Raven caught a glimpse of blood-colored light emitting from her palm when...

WHAM!

A boot met her shin, dispersing the energy and causing her face to contort in pain. After dropping to one knee for a few seconds, her eyes, now filled with murderous intent, focused on the red haired perpetrator.

"..."

"... Haha?" With a nervous laugh, Elsword broke out into a sprint with Elesis giving chase, her dark powers pulsing around her. There were no profanities thrown as they disappeared around the corner and Raven let out a sigh of relief. Though unconventional, Elsword found a peaceful resolution to the problem by turning his sister's ire onto him. Leave it to that brat to come up with the craziest ideas. He would talk with Penensio later about the Crimson Avenger's behavior.

"Ah, looks like I just missed her." Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Penensio strode up to Raven in full gear, watching the corner that the siblings turned.

"Yeah, so I guess you heard what happened?" Raven inquired, his gaze on the same spot.

"Unfortunately, it is the first I heard of it. The Red Knights are really grateful for what the Crows are doing here and we are trying to keep our leader in check but..." The Cross Guard Captain's voice started to trail of at the mention of his superior.

"Not going well?" Raven's prod earned him a shake of the head.

"Sadly, that is the case. She has become so merciless ever since the demons left. Without a target for her rage, she just lashes out at the people. I think she is aware of what she is doing, but I think she is helpless to stop it. It is like an urge, as she describes it." The Rune Slayer sighed.

"Which means if she is going to change, it needs to come from her own heart." Raven finally looked to the man, who returned his gaze with his own and a nod.

"I think so. But, she still needs time. For now, we will see if we can get another squad to patrol here so you don't have to worry about her murdering someone in the open." Penensio offered the Veteran Commander a way out, which was readily accepted.

"I would appreciate that. On another note, it wouldn't kill her to try and smile." Raven chided, resulting in the Captain bringing a thoughtful hand to his chin.

"Come to think of it, there was an elf with you before who seemed to have the same problem. Have you heard anything from her?" Penensio immediately regretted that question when the Crow leader's face fell at the mention of his companion. "Sorry, forget I asked..."

"It's fine. No I haven't heard anything from her. Hopefully, that just means she is busy." Despite Raven's outward evasion of the topic his mind had already wandered into those recollections of the elf in question.

Rena, the Night Watcher. How he missed her, even if her trademark smile was now only a memory. She was the one who saved him from his rage towards the world with her bright smile and cheerful personality. For a while, the two had grown close, close enough that Raven could only think of her whenever his deceased fiancé came to mind. But then she was introduced to the Night Savers, a group of assassins from the Elven dimension that watched over Elrios from the shadows.

At first, the changes in her were subtle, brief moments of cold calculation in the heat of battle, but still the same motherly Rena that the gang loved outside of it. Then, the changes became more drastic. Suggestions of leaving civilians so that military resources could be saved, isolation from the rest of the group when not in combat.

And she stopped smiling.

Raven wanted to reach out and bring her back, but she always said it was her duty to the world and that she did not have room for such feelings. As much as he wanted to bring back that smile, he wanted to see his home again just as much, so he chose to allow their relationship to fade so he could focus on the bigger picture. After the capital was finally liberated, the Night Watcher vanished into the shadows and was never heard from again.

"My apologies, I did not mean to bring that up. But while I have your attention, Commander..." Penensio's voice snapped Raven from his stupor and his eyes focused on the Rune Slayer, giving him his full attention. "There has been a bit of a problem with the garrison in Elder."

"Elder? What is happening in Elder?" From the tone of the Captain's voice, it was clear that something had him concerned, which meant that the Veteran Commander should be concerned.

"We received a couple of reports from the garrison about a week ago of sighting... something massive on the outskirts of the city. No descriptions as to its appearance, except that it was huge. Also, some of the homes outside of the city limits have apparently disappeared." His voice was grim and his eyes narrow.

"Disappeared? Not destroyed?" At first, Raven was thinking it could have been a dragon, but since when do dragons make homes disappear? They would burn them down, yes, but that would leave traces. What the Cross Guard Captain was saying was that there were no remains.

"Yes, disappeared. We sent a small unit to investigate after getting those reports, but they have not returned yet. They were supposed to have come back two days ago. And the Elder garrison has gone silent. We haven't heard anything else after those last communications." Now the topic got a lot more grim. It was one thing if the unit was running late, but if the garrison of a whole city was not making its regular reports that would mean...

"You think the demons have another portal up north?" Raven asked the first question that came to mind.

"It looks like that is a strong possibility, but we can't take any chances on this. I am assembling a small legion of knights to investigate what is going on over there. Think you can lend us your expertise on this expedition?" It seemed that Penensio was already sorting a solution and needed Raven's assistance. This greatly concerned him as well, so he was in no position to refuse.

"I understand. When do we leave and how many are we taking with us?"

"We leave tomorrow morning on Cockatigles with a forty man legion from the North Gate. Elsword and Elesis will be joining as well, I will inform them later. Also, Chung Seiker and Ara Haan will be rendezvousing with us at Bethma." The Rune Slayer laid out the plan and some the details surprised the Veteran Commander.

"Chung and Ara are coming? That is a surprise." Raven shook his head to clear the distracting thoughts as he gave the Captain a nod of acknowledgement. "Understood, I will be there. I will inform my men that I will be taking on this assignment. Zed will be left in charge while I'm gone."

"Thank you, Commander." Penensio gave a salute to the Veteran Commander, which was returned before turning on his heel and walking down the sidewalk.

Little did they know, that this was far more then what they had ever imagined...

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**There we have it! I wanted to make everyone in this story their transform paths, so I am grateful that Crimson Avenger came out in time for me to see it and add it in. I still have to wait to see what Add's is before I insert him in the story, but that should not be too long, as he is being released next month. So, please Read and Reveiw. Until next time!**


	3. Reunion 1

**Hey everyone! I have been trying to keep these updates coming as fast as I can. But senior thesis is quite a commitment. Anyways, enough moaning and groaning. Here is the next installment of Template! Enjoy!**

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"Phew, at least this gets her out of the city…" Elsword muttered under his breath as he loaded up his cockatrigle, that he had named Choco. He had found an egg in the fires of Velder when they were fleeing the city and he thought it was going to look great on his dinner plate. But when Aisha told him it was a cockatrigle egg, he thought he might try to actually create something for a change, as he had a knack for breaking things.

So, during the invasion of Hamel, he kept it safe, and then during the gang's excursion into Hamel, the egg hatched. The cockatrigle chick proved to be just as feisty as he was and he could still to this day remember the pain of the talons carving crimson marks into his face. But he felt connected to the little guy and eventually settled on calling him Choco, despite Aisha's protests to call him Archibald. Who calls anything Archibald anyways?

But the true bonding came when Joaquin, the insane demon alchemist, trapped the ElGang in a hallucination with drugs during the final push to retake Velder. Apparently, as the gang fought off illusions and struggled to survive the chemicals coursing through their veins, Choco engaged Joaquin in combat, tearing into him with his talons and firing lasers from its face and eyes until help arrived and the allied alchemists made an antidote.

After the ElGang was cured, they relieved the battered cockatrigle and finished off Joaquin. Throughout the following days that Choco was recovering, Elsword never left his side, citing that he did not abandon him when he was in need. Ever since then, the two were considered two peas in a pod. They were an inseparable team and partners in crime in some Elsword's occasional mischief.

Choco's ruffling snapped the Infinity Sword's trip down memory lane as if it agreed with his previous statement. The two partners looked to the Crimson Avenger now, who was finishing tying down her gear onto her own cockatrigle.

"Yeah, I know. She has been making you uneasy too, huh? I just wish there was something we could do to help her…" At his master's mumbling, the cockatrigle let out a small screech, something that Elsword attributed as supportive.

"Thanks partner maybe that would work. If we find a hot spring or something, maybe we can get her take a load off." He smiled to the bird who then sent a chirp in his direction, making his eyes go wide. "Hey! Not so loud. If she knew we were planning to peep on her too, she would-"

"Who would do what, Elsword?" The two perverts jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see Raven had already finished packing and was checking in on them.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" The knight and his mount both shook their heads so rapidly that they were nothing more than blurs, earning a cocked eyebrow from the Veteran Commander.

"If you say so. You about ready to go?" Raven shrugged off the suspicion.

"Need you ask? Me and Choco are always ready to go. Just give the word and we are ready to turn on the heat." Elsword grinned as Choco nodded his feathered head. The veteran let a small smile creep onto his face at the youth's confidence.

"There is no guarantee that we will be seeing combat, but then again, you never know. We are all counting on you." He snapped off a crisp salute which the young knight promptly returned. Raven then turned and strode to his own bird to double check the knots on his supplies, leaving Elsword and Choco to continue hatching schemes…

* * *

Just as Elesis finished her preparations for the trip, she caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her vision: Raven. The Veteran Commander was checking his pack and making sure it was secure for the trip. A wise course of action, but that was not what made her mind wander.

Ever since yesterday's events, she had replayed the situation over and over in her head, wondering what could have gone differently. She had actually felt an urge to not just hurt Raven when he told her to back off the other day, she wanted to kill him.

This urge… it was not normal.

Sure, she had quite the murderous streak ever since her brush with death in Feita, but never before had she wanted to hurt her allies. Her heart and mind knew that Raven was a friend and boon companion, but something was pushing her yesterday to tear into him and kill him.

How could she lose control like that? Lately, she felt this burning rage and anger inside of her. When she was traveling with the ElGang before, those urges were fed with the blood of her enemies. Now, however, there were few to no adversaries to stymie these murderous urges. And it was getting to the point where she would attack almost anyone who showed even the slightest hostility to her, even if it was not directed at her.

That poor child a couple days back, she could still see his tear-filled eyes widen in fear as she brought her claymore down on his tiny form. If not for her brother diving in front of the blow, she would have killed him. This was not including other incidents, like beating a mugger with her bare hands until his face was nothing more than a swollen, red mess, or when she nearly impaled a mother on her blade for attempting to steal formula to feed her three month old child.

Before Feita, she would have let these people off with a small warning or ignore them entirely, but now…

She hated this. She wanted to stop this, but she felt that she was no longer in control anymore. It was as if –

"Alright, looks like everyone is ready to go. Here is what we know." Her second in command, Cross Guard Chief Penensio , interrupted her thoughts with his booming voice and she gave him her full attention, as she had not seen the reports until just last night. "The city of Elder has gone silent for almost a week. The last reports that came through indicated that something massive was skirting the edges of the city and that the Elder garrison and the Red Knights we sent would investigate. We lost all contact after that, so now we are heading over to find out what is going on. Are there any questions before we march?"

"Yes sir." A Red Knight officer whose name slipped Elesis' mind spoke up. "Are we assuming that the demons have generated another gate near Elder?"

"Right now, we do not have enough information to make that call. However…" Penensio's tone darkened. "Assume that whatever is over there is hostile. Be ready for anything, demon or otherwise."

"Understood!" The officer from before snapped off a crisp salute, as did the remaining knights as they mounted their cockatrigles and prepared to leave. But as Elesis swung her legs over her mount, a feeling of ecstasy overtook her for a brief moment.

She was excited. She hoped against her better judgment that the demons had truly returned. Despite the pain and suffering they would bring on their return she would now have her target of vengeance back to cut into bloody ribbons.

How it excited her! She could not wait to get to Elder and see for herself who this enemy was.

But there was one more reason she could barely keep her cool.

Wally. Lord Wally of Elder.

That bastard of a lord extorted his citizens a couple years back and showed that the ones meant to serve as leaders were far from the saints that she initially believed. It was because of him that she started down a darker path, becoming a Dark Knight in order to mete out justice no matter the culprit.

Her actions back then brought Wally to death's doorstep on Altera, but she left him alive for the authorities to apprehend. But, after she and the ElGang retook Velder, the Lurensian continent was in a state of disarray. Much of the leadership had been wiped out in the wake of the demon's assault, and Elder was in need of a leader.

Unfortunately, there were no other lords that could step up to lead the city. Except one…

Wally was released on the sole conditions that he be under constant surveillance by the Red Knights and that he would follow the directives from a team of advisors appointed by Penensio and Elesis. However, Elesis was far from thrilled at this decision, and she neglected in choosing candidates for the position, leaving Penensio to do all the work.

And to top it all off, Elesis was given a restraining order by the surviving Velder nobility to prevent her going anywhere near Elder. It seemed that they were concerned that she would cut down Wally the next time she saw him, and that she might actually go out of her way to hunt him down.

They were right. For the first two weeks since Wally's reinstatement, Elesis was caught attempting to sneak into Elder on four separate occasions. Each time they forced her to return to Velder through force using special restraints that were designed with the intention of holding demons captive, more than enough to hold a crazed knight. She was held for one day in solitary confinement for each offense and the next day, upon her release, she would try again, only to fail and be returned in chains.

Eventually, she gave up the notion of exacting her revenge on the corrupt Elder noble, but her blood still boiled at the thought of such a man being given a second chance. What of her comrades that she had to watch die in Feita? Why could they not get a second chance? It angered her to no end.

But there was a single silver lining to this: She was permitted to enter Elder under supervision in the event of an emergency. And a city dropping out of contact for a week certainly qualified as such. The Crimson Avenger was unsure if she would be able to find and kill Wally during their investigation, but she would figure the details when she arrived.

With these thoughts, she spurred her cockatrigle forward along with the rest of the Red Knights…

* * *

It only took the legion of Red Knights plus Raven a day to reach Bethma where they would await the arrival of Chung Seiker and Ara Haan. The cockatrigles were given a well-deserved rest at a nearby spring while the Red Knights ran scenarios for the coming investigation, with Raven and Penensio spearheading the exercises.

Since Elsword was participating in these drills, this left Elesis to brood in the shadows of the inn. She just wanted to get to Elder and put these urges of hers to rest, but she would not get far without an escort, so she had to wait. Being the leader of the Red Knights, she could excuse herself from these maneuvers as she knew each one like the back of her hand.

As she watched her little brother attempt to disarm Raven in close combat, which he failed epically in as the Veteran Commander tossed him off like an old sock, she felt something well up inside her. It was a feeling that she could nearly consider foreign now. It was a feeling of pride and sisterly love for her sibling's drive.

"I hope we are on time."

"Miss Haan, please watch your step!"

With a comical cry of despair, a black and white figure fell from the roof of the very building Elesis was leaning on, landing in a pathetic heap on the dirt. Elesis almost brought her blade down on the intruding presence, but after hearing the pitiful mass of flesh and cloth moan in a familiar fashion, she released her weapon.

"Ara, how can you still be this clumsy? One would think that these past couple of months would have made you less of a klutz." The Crimson Avenger sighed as the pile finally struggled to its feet, revealing a young, sable haired woman with ample proportions and a less-than-conservative attire.

"But Eun said she would help me land. Eun, you tricked me!" The young maiden's round, heterochromic eyes were on the verge of tears as she cried to an unseen perpetrator. Shortly after Ara had recovered from her fall, a small dragon, called a Hamling, glided from the roof carrying a blonde, armored boy.

"Sorry for the scare Miss Sieghart. We didn't see you there." He scratched the back of his head nervously as he dismounted and unfastened a rather large cannon from his mount. Finally free of its cumbersome load, the white Hamling sprawled on the ground with an explosive exhale, earning it an apologetic look and pet from its rider. "Get some rest, you worked hard."

"So what have you heard about this mission?" The Crimson Avenger inquired to the newly arrived pair. She noticed that their expressions almost immediately darkened and Ara was the first to recover and answer.

"We heard that Elder has been awfully quiet and there is something massive on the outskirts of the city. Do you think… it is the Dark Nephilim? The one from Velder?" Her voice slightly quivered at the mention of the beast, and Elesis felt herself inwardly cringe. That monster was a terror and the thing that secured the demons' victory in the humans' first attempt to retake Velder. She could still remember the behemoth plowing through barricades and smashing fixed cannons like they were ants as it tried to crush the remaining human forces into paste.

The Elgang was barely able to critically wound the beast before it made it to the port, forcing the demons to retreat and allow the humans to escape. But they never finished it off until they returned months later with Hamel reinforcements. Then, they had restricted its movements with the Hamel Guardians laying down a continuous siege on the demon while the ElGang moved in for the fatal blow.

The thing was dead, but it was entirely possible that there was more than one Dark Nephilim, as Chloe, the dark elf who summoned creature had been capable of summoning it again and again. But that was according to intelligence before the battle, so when they engaged the demons in combat, Rena had slipped through enemy lines to find and take out her evil counterpart. Though the Night Watcher was unable to kill the dark elf, she did force her to retreat and prevent her from summoning additional reinforcements. Following this line of thought…

"If it is the Dark Nephilim, there has to be a summoner somewhere. We have no intelligence regarding that. Also, have you heard of the homes vanishing on the outskirts?" Elesis posed a question to the duo, and their eyes went wide.

"Vanished? Not destroyed?" Chung was bewildered. If homes were vanishing, which meant they never existed in the first place, it might be something they had never faced before. Seeing that her question got the pair thinking a little too hard, she gave a light wave of her hand to indicate that they should disregard it.

"Don't worry. Whatever it is, it apparently doesn't have any back up or foot soldiers to support it. We should be able to manage with the legion here and us just fine." She attempted to reassure them, something that she normally did not do anymore. But around the members of the ElGang, she felt that she had to be a little more understanding.

"Ah, they arrived. Good." A voice from her peripheral caught her ear and she turned to see Raven, slightly perspiring from the exercises. He held up his human hand in greeting. "It's been a while you two. How have you been?"

"Oh, Sir Raven. I have been well. How have these past months been treating you?" The Asura bowed gracefully to the Veteran Commander, unwittingly revealing a bit more than she should, earning a small, but exaggerated cough from him. She quickly straightened her back like she was struck by lightning and the bow on her head seemed to perk up like fox ears.

_This girl… She still has some growing up to do. _Raven mused to himself as the Tactical Trooper strode up to him, hand outstretched.

"It is good to see you, Commander Raven. Have the Crow Mercenary Knights been busy?" As Raven was about to grasp the boy's hand, a crimson blur leaped over his head and onto the unfortunate blonde victim.

"Man, you gotta lighten up, Chung! We haven't seen each other in a long time! Come on, give me a hug!"

"Damn it, Elsword, get off me! Why can't you just greet me like a normal person!" Raven and Ara chuckled as the Infinity Sword and Tactical Trooper scrambled over each other, one trying to hug the other and the other trying to get him off. Only Elesis remained stoic throughout this small event.

"So anyways…" Elsword finally leaped off of Chung and swept off the dirt on his pants. "It really has been a while. How have you two been holding up?" Raven could have sworn he saw the boy's eyes drift slightly down when looked at Ara, but chose to not say anything seeing as it was taking a considerable amount of effort on his part to avert his own eyes.

"We've been doing pretty good. Miss Han and I – "

"Wait wait. Back up. _We_?" The Infinity Sword cutoff his blonde haired compatriot with a huge grin plastered on his face and began waving his index finger from the girl to the boy. "When did this become _we_?"

Chung and Ara both looked to each other with looks of confusion before turning back to the young knight.

"Um… What Sir Chung is trying to say is that we have been working together over these past few months to locate my brother. The Hamel Guardians wanted to interrogate him and I just wanted to find him, so he contacted me a while back to tell me he wanted to collaborate with me on my search." The young girl clarified to Elsword, resulting in him giving an audible groan of disappointment.

"You are okay with your brother being interrogated by people that might want to see him dead, Ara?" Raven posed a small question and the Asura shook her head.

"Sir Chung has assured me that no harm will come to him if he is no longer possessed by the demons. Seeing as they have vanished from Elrios, I am sure that Ran is no more and my brother Aren has been restored." A small light in her golden eye seemed to shine, giving voice to her hope.

"I see. That is one way to look at it. But you are also okay with putting your search on hold? You seem to be awfully accommodating on this goal." Raven was legitimately curious. Normally, this girl was fiercely protective of her brother, even going so far as to bond with a spirit to find him and, if need be, protect him from her new companions.

"Actually, Sir Raven, we think that Aren might be involved with this Elder incident." Chung spoke up, earning him the attention of everyone present. "If demons are indeed the cause of this loss of communication, Aren might be there trying to stop them. That was how he was possessed in the first place, trying to halt the demon advance on Fahrmann."

It was sound reasoning. Although, one could also say that they were now grasping at straws, as it seemed they were no closer to finding him now than they were months ago.

"Whatever your reasons for being here are, as long as you don't get in the way I think everything will sort itself out." Elesis finally separated herself from the wall and began to walk back to camp. "Just bear in mind that I will kill him if I catch him and he is working with the demons."

The remaining four watched her as she walked away, Ara heaving a huge sigh as she left earshot.

"Is Miss Elesis still… upset that the demons left?" She wrung her hands in front of her chest as a worried look crept onto her face.

"Yeah, she has gotten better, but that is still not much." Elsword answered with a sigh and began to scratch his head. "I really don't know how she is going to adjust to the way things are now. She has been destroying the training dummies less often, but…"

"She will come around eventually. We just have to be patient and help her as needed." The Veteran Commander patted the Infinity Swords shoulder with his human hand before looking to the rest of the group.

"You probably had quite the trip to get here. Let's get your bed spaces set up and get some food into your stomachs. We leave tomorrow morning at first light." Ara and Chung's eyes seemed to brighten slightly at the mention of food.

"Yes, of course!"

"A warm meal is just what I need. Miss Han's pot stickers are great… Too great. I ate my whole share during breakfast…" The Tactical Trooper moaned as his stomach let out a beastly growl.

Laughter filled the air as the reunited friends, plus a Hamling, strolled back into camp for a night of conversation. They had several months to catch up on after all…

* * *

**Now, I am well aware that many of my chapters lack the action a lot of other stories do, but I feel like fleshing out the characters is very important, if not more important than the action sequences. We are coming to a point in this story where things will get really exciting, but for now, you will have to deal with the establishment of the characters. Anyways, please Read and Review because it motivates me and that leads to faster updates. The next Boundaries update is in the works now that this update is up and I will be starting a Fire Emblem story after that. So, continue with the support and I will continue with the writing. Until next time!**


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